The present invention relates generally to a manner by which to base a decision, such as how to allocate charges accruing as a result of downloading of an application, or other content, to a mobile station operable in a cellular, or other radio, communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus, and an associated method, by which to allocate charges, or make other operational decisions associated with the downloading of the content either to a service subscription, or other account, pursuant to which the mobile station is operable or elsewhere, such as a system operator. A data message is sent to the mobile station to initiate the downloading of the content. The data message includes an indication of the data source from which the content to be downloaded originates. The data source from which the content originates is determinative of the decision, such as to where the charges shall accrue. If, for instance, the data source forms a third-party data source, charges accrue to the service subscription of the mobile station. And, for instance, if the data source forms a system-operator data source, the accrued charges are absorbed by the system operator.
The communication of data is a necessary adjunct of modern society. Data is communicated between remote locations pursuant to many different activities. A communication system through which the data is communicated includes, at a minimum, a sending station and a receiving station, interconnected by a communication channel. Many different types of communication systems have been developed, and implemented, to permit the effectuation of communication of data to effectuate many different communication services.
Radio communication systems are exemplary of communication systems that are regularly utilized. Radio communication systems are utilized, for instance, to effectuate telephonic communications. In a radio communication system, communications are effectuated by way of communication channels defined upon a radio link formed between sending and receiving stations. Because radio links are utilized, communications between sending and receiving stations of a radio communication system can be used to effectuate the communications when positioning of a wireline connection between the sending and receiving stations would be impractical or otherwise not permitted.
A cellular communication system is a type of radio communication system. The networks of various types of cellular communication systems have been installed throughout significant portions of populated areas of the world. And, cellular communication systems have achieved wide levels of usage by large numbers of users who subscribe pursuant to a subscription service to communicate therethrough.
Communication stations of a radio communication system that provide for two-way communications form radio transceivers. The radio transceivers capable of both sending and receiving signals upon radio links extending between the radio transceivers. Radio transceivers of the network part of a cellular communication system are referred to as base transceiver stations (BTSs), and radio transceivers carried by subscribers, i.e., users, that subscribe to communication services in the system are sometimes referred to as mobile stations.
Successive generations of cellular communication systems have been developed and installed throughout extensive portions of the world. Reference is commonly made to at least three generations of cellular communication systems. A so-called, first-generation, cellular communication system generally refers to a cellular communication system that utilizes an analog modulation technique. A so-called, second-generation, cellular communication system typically refers to a cellular communication system that utilizes a digital, multiple-access communication scheme. Third-generation, cellular communication systems are presently under development and implementation. Third-generation systems also generally utilize digital, multiple-access communication schemes.
Mobile stations, particularly those utilized in second- and subsequent-generation communication systems, utilize processing circuitry to operate upon digitally-encoded signals transmitted during operation of the communication system. The processing circuitry can be utilized to perform other processing functions in addition to operating upon signals utilized to effectuate telephonic communications.
An application program is and, more generally, content is executable by such processing circuitry. The terms content and application program shall, at times, be used herein interchangeably, but shall each refer to any type of digital information. Content, executable or otherwise usable by the processing circuitry, is typically stored at a memory device that is accessible by the processing circuitry. The content is stored at the memory device, usually during construction of the mobile station or, subsequent thereto, by downloading the content thereto.
The content downloaded to the mobile station is sometimes originated at a computer server connected to a packet data network to which the network part of the cellular communication system is connected.
An operator of the cellular communication system might also want to download content to the mobile station. Such content is used at the mobile station, for instance, to upgrade operating performance of the mobile station or to alter operating parameters pursuant to which the mobile station operates.
As the content is downloaded to the mobile station by way of a radio link, charges are generally associated with the use of the radio links to communicate the content. When the downloading of the content is to be for the benefit of the system operator rather than the subscriber, it, generally, would be inappropriate to charge the communication of the content to the service subscription account, necessitating payment by the subscriber. If, however, the content is provided by the third-party computer server for the benefit of the subscriber, it would, conversely, generally be appropriate to charge the service subscription account for the downloading of the content to the mobile station.
A manner is needed by which to allocate the charges that accrue to download content to the mobile station.
It is in light of this background information related to communication of content to a mobile station in a radio communication station that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.
The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides apparatus, and an associated method, by which to base a decision, such as how to allocate charges accruing as a result of downloading of an application, or other content, to a mobile station operable in a cellular, or other, radio communication system.
Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention, a manner is provided by which to base a decision, such as how to allocate the charges associated with the downloading of the content either to a service subscription, or other account, pursuant to which the mobile station is operable or elsewhere, such as to a system operator.
A data message is sent to the mobile station to initiate the downloading of the content. The data message includes an indication of the data source from which the content to be downloaded originates. The data source from which the content originates is determinative of the operational decision is made at the mobile station, such as to where the charges shall accrue.
In one aspect of the present invention, content sourced at a third-party data source is selectably provided to the mobile station. The content is downloaded to the mobile station pursuant to a terminal management session. When the source of the content is determined to be the third-party data source, charges accruing as a result of the downloading of the content to the mobile station are allocated to the service subscription pursuant to which the mobile station is operable. That is to say, charges for the xe2x80x9cair timexe2x80x9d needed to download the content to the mobile station accrue to the mobile station.
In another aspect of the present invention, content sourced at a system-operator data source is selectably provided to the mobile station. The content is downloaded to the mobile station pursuant to a terminal management session. When the source of the content is detected to be the system-operator data source, charges accruing as a result of the downloading of the content to the mobile station are allocated to the system operator. That is to say, charges for the xe2x80x9cair timexe2x80x9d needed to download the content to the mobile station are absorbed by the system operator.
In another aspect of the present invention, when content is to be downloaded to a mobile station, a data message is first generated and sent to the mobile station. When the communication system comprises a GSM (global system for mobile communications) cellular communication system that provides for SMS (short message service) messaging, the data message sent to the mobile station to initiate downloading of the content thereto forms an SMS message. The data message includes a field containing, or otherwise provides, values representative of the type of data source from which the content originates.
In another aspect of the present invention, when the mobile station detects the data message sent thereto to initiate a terminal management session during which content is to be downloaded to the mobile station, the mobile station operates upon the data message to determine the type of data source at which the content to be downloaded to the mobile station originates.
The mobile station includes a table containing a listing. The listing includes values of indicia representative of the identification of the type of data source at which the content to be downloaded to the mobile station originates. A calling number is associated with the indicia. Upon detection of the data message at the mobile station and operation thereon to retrieve information contained in the data message, the values contained in the field, or otherwise contained in, the data message form the indicia at the listing contained in the table. The listing is accessed, and the calling number associated with the indicia is retrieved. The retrieved calling number is used to initiate a call to the calling number retrieved from the listing contained in the table. A communication session forming a terminal management session is thereafter formed. And, once the terminal management session is formed, the content is downloaded to the mobile station.
The calling number is either a toll number or a toll-free number. When the data source forms a system operator data source, the calling number forms a toll-free number. And, when the calling number is retrieved and used to form the terminal management session, charges do not accrue to the mobile station. And, if the data source forms a third-party data source, the calling number forms a toll number such that, when a terminal management session is formed subsequent to entry of the toll number, charges accruing during the terminal management session in which the content is downloaded to the mobile station accrue to the service subscription associated with the mobile station.
Content is downloaded to the mobile station while appropriate allocation of the charges accruing to permit the download of the content is made.
In another aspect of the present invention, other types of data are downloaded to the mobile station. Again, a data message is communicated to the mobile station to initiate a terminal management session therewith. The data message includes an indication of the source of the data that is to be downloaded to the mobile station. The mobile station, upon detection of the data message operates thereupon to determine the type of data source at which the data to be downloaded to the mobile station originated. The additional types of data downloadable to the mobile station include, for example, user interface display indicia. Depending upon the source of the initiator of the content to be downloaded to the mobile station, control over the display displayable upon a display element of the mobile station, selection is made by the mobile station whether to permit control over the display displayable at the mobile station to be permitted of the initiating server. If allocation of control is not provided to the initiating server, control over the display upon the display element of the user interface of the mobile station is maintained at the mobile station. Data might also include, for instance, a WML (wireless mark-up language) card to be sent to the mobile station by a server. Depending upon the source of the WML text card, a determination is made whether to utilize the WML card provided by the originating server or to utilize, instead, a WML card already stored at the mobile station.
In these and other aspects, therefore, apparatus, and an associated method, for a radio communication system is provided. The radio communication system has a network part and a mobile station to which data is selectably communicated pursuant to a data call. The data is sourced at a selected data source. Apparatus for the mobile station facilitates allocation of data call charges accruing pursuant to the data call. A detector is coupled to detect indications of a request initiated at the selected data source for formation of the data call. The indications of the request include indicia identifying, at least by type, the selected data source. A table contains a listing. The listing is of indicia included as part of the request to which the detector is coupled to detect. The indicia is indexed together with a calling number associated with the indicia. The calling number identifies whether the data call charges accruing pursuant to the data call shall accrue to the mobile station. A data call initiator is coupled to receive indications of the calling number indexed together with the indicia at the table and corresponding to the indicia contained in the indications of the request detected by the detector. The data call initiator initiates the data call responsive thereto.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings which are briefly summarized below, the following description of the presently-preferred embodiments of the invention, and the appended claims.